Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-02-09

these dlfterentlal rates are called dlScrlmlna-
ton. Nearly all of the so-called and much |
complained-of discrimination in favor OF
one locality as against another, is the result /
of the laws of trade. The geographical
position of the various competitive locali-
ties, the laws of nature and the laws OF
God, who, in His infinite wisdom, has
caused all the large rivers to flow past the
most populous cities all contribute TO
this result. The existing tariffs of the
country, covering all the railroads and
water ways, are not mere guess work, but
the work of two generations of experience
and actual practice-of cutting and trying
to devise a possible way of bringing the
producer and consumer together.
WHAT HAS BEEN INFECTED BY NATURAL
LAWS.
Considering this work from national
standpoint, it has reduced rates TO figure
| unequaled elsewhere; it has developed
| the country to an extent which would not
be possible under the provisions of the in
| terstate commerce bill as | understand it.
Railroad reformers and theorists are not
| disposed to accept the experience of the
| past or to recognize that through 1t there
! has grown up the most wonderful develop
ment of country which has ever been
known to mankind. These would-be-re
| formers denounce in unmeasured terms
| the old worn-out phrase of what the traffic
| will bear" they define the term so as to
| imply the jusAication of excessive charges;
| this vague expression can best be explained
| by its application to competition and the
| development of new traffic. In the effort
| of the transportation company TO reach this
! traffic it will inquire as to what possible
| lower rates (even below the cost OF carriage,
| if by that means better paying rates ON
| other traffic can be obtained) the business
| will bear, or what rates may be necessary
as between the producer and consumer to
enable the shipper to reach common
market; well knowing that certain kinds
of traffic cannot be taken from the farm,
| the forest and the mandatory to the con-
sumers except at very low rates.
Therefore you see the railroads are in
| the market for the sale of their wares, like
every merchant of the country; and like
| the merchant we send out our commercial
men to seek purchasers for that which we
| have to sell-namely transportation. We
must sell in competition with waterways at
| prices which, all things considered, are as
favorable as theirs, or we cannot expect to
sell. We have to meet the clipper rates be-
tween here and the Atlantic seaboard to
secure any traffic. In the past it has been
considered that sailing vessels could defy
all other modes of transportation in so far
as rates were concerned, but of late they
| have to divide their traffic with the tramp
| steamship, running to and from any ports
| where cargoes may offer; and since it is a
| well known fact that modern steamships
| burn but half an ounce of coal per ton of
cargo per mile run, you will readily per-
| ceive the importance of activity on the part
| of our commercial men TO secure purchas-
ers for that which we have for sale in over
| ahundance-namely, transportation.
| oil ayrar
| will not wonder that the railroad manage
ment of the country think it strange, in
the face of the testimony of the ablest rail
road officials living, that Congress should
desire to try the doubtful experiment of at
tempting to equalize through aud local
rates by making it unlawful to charge
more for a short than for long haul,
| which principle is not applicable to any
| other kind of business, and which theory
the wisdom of the British Parliament has
denounced, after short trial, as impracti-
cable.
ENGLISH EXPERIENCE.
1t is said by one of the most able writers
of the country that English statesmen
learned more in a few years from the
workings of few miles of railroad than
the general public has learned from the
workings of all the railroads of the country
in half a century All well-conducted
roads are managed on business principles,
the same as all other business affairs are
conducted, and here lies the trouble. There
has been for years an effort on the part of
Legislatures, and now by the Federal Gov
ernment, to make ii illegal for any roads to
conduct their business under the same
| laws that govern commerce and trade.
All these theories have been tried in En-
gland, and all have failed. Railroad Com
missioners there have held that the rail
roads have no right to place less favorably
| situated shipper on an equality with one
more favorably situated. Parliamentary
committees have also refused to indorse
such principles as are laid down in the in
terstate commerce bill, and say that "a
preference is not unjust so long as it is the
natural result of competition"
There is no foundation for the unreason-
able charge of extortion. The statement
that the roads are charging too much for
| transportation is not borne out from the
fact that the rates charged in the United
States so long ago as 1884 averaged but II
cents per ton per mile; this was lower than
the average charged anywhere else in the
| world; and the rates have been going down
ever since as we find that the average for
| 1885 was but 057 cents, and for 1856 it will
| probably not average over l cent.
With these facts before us it would seem
that there is no necessity for any hostile,
discriminative legislation against railroads.
| THE POOLING CLAUSE.
| When asked what he had to say about
the pooling clause of the bill, Mr.. Towne
replied Pools are intended to protect the
shipper and carrier alike. The past has
shown that sections of the country where
| pools have been most common have grown
| populous and prosperous Fluctuations in
rates, which so generally disturb trade
| centers, are much less liable to occur under
| pooling arrangements. A sufficient answer
against this section of the interstate COM
merce law is the fact that rates have been
materially lowered since pooling became
so well established, and the further fact
that the enlightened railroad lawmakers
of Central Europe recognize the systems
| of pooling, and in fact legalize them"
Referring again to the long and short
| haul question Has not Congress conferred
! great powers on the Commission so far as
relates to this provision, and would not the
dictates of prudence on the part Of the
| Commissioners seem TO demand the sus-
| pension Of it until they have had time to
clearly understand how far-reaching and
| disturbing to the transportation companies
and to commerce its application may
prove?
"Yes; Congress has conferred certain
| powers on the Commission, bat they have
not the power, as l understand it, to gener-
| ally suspend the operation of this section.
| 1t must be remembered that it is national
law, affecting, more or less, all carriers,
and the people they serve, in all sections of
the country, and each transportation COM
pany, and every shipper, unfavorably af-
fected under the workings Of the law must
take up each special case by itself for iuves-
tigation, which cases, if very numerous, as
ie lou will ha f,a
consideration of the Commission for an in
definite period, during which time the ap-
plicant might be suffering heavy losses and
much inconvenience
What True Merit VIII Do.
The unprecedented sale of Boschce's Ger |
man SgrltD within a few wears has aston